Spanish Pronunciation and Accent

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SPANISH

PRONUNCIATION

AND

ACCENT

BY

1ST Lieut. PETER K TRAUB, i^t u. S. Cavalry

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF FRENCH AT THE U. S. MILITARY ACADEMY

UNDER THE DIRECTION OF

PROFESSOR E. E. WOOD

DEPARTMENT OF MODERN LANGUAGES, U. S. M. A.

NEW YORK - : - CINCINNATI - : - CHICAGO

AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY

•-u

COK\'RlGHT, 1899, BY

P. E. TRAUB

SPANISH PRONVN'CIATION AND ACXENT

Carl H. Hbistzemans, Printer, llostun, r.>.A.

SPANISH

PRONUNCIATION AND ACCENT

THE ALPHABET

1. The Spanish alphabet comprises thirty letters ; twenty-six
simple and four compound, as follows :

Characters Names

ProMWcUtion Characters

Names

Pronunciation

a

a

a in Tftama

n

ene

Snay

b

be

bay

n

eiie

ain'yay

-c

ce

tha in thane

o

in hue

ch

che

cha in chafe

P

pe

pay

d

de

they

q

cu

coo

e

e

a in bale

r

ere

ffray

f

efe

a' fay

rr

erre

air' ray

-g

ge

hay

s

ese

a say

h

hache

Si tchay

t

te

td in take

•

1

•

1

ce in fee

u

u

00 in pool

J

jota

hffta

V

ve

vay

k

ka

ca in carry

w

doble

u though' b lay oo

1

ele

S lay

X

equis

S kees

U

elle

ait y ay

y

ye

yay

m

erne

cl may

z

zeta

tha t&, (///in thaue)

2. These letters, consisting of vowels and consonants, are all
of the feminine gender and, with the exception of c and gy have
always practically the same sound. Ex. : la i, las les ; la jota,
las jotas.

3. A' and w are used only in words from foreign languages.
Ex. : Washington, kilogramo.

PRONUNCIATIOK

4. In Spanish the vowel sounds preponderate. They are full
and sonorous, whereas the consonant sounds are more or less
slurred and even suppressed.

2 PROXUNXIATIOX — VOWELS

5. With the exception of h and of //when the latter is placed
after q (see 27), and in certain cases when placed after g (see
20, 3), there are no silent letters in Spanish; for, excepting the
above, every letter in a word is pronounced.

6. The sounds in Spanish are not given as sharply as in Eng-
lish, tonic accent being nothing more than a lengthening of the
accented syllable. This indolent intonation produces a more or
less drawling effect in the language, when spoken slowly.

Note : Until the written or graphic accent is explained (see 44), the vowel to be pro.
longed in sound will be indicated in heavy type. Should a written accent (^ appear over
a vowel in heavy t>7>e, the sound is not at all affected thereby.

VOWELS

7. The vowels are a, e, i, (y,) o, u.

a sounds like a in mama. Ex. : la, ma, na, ta, fa.

e sounds like a in bale. Yjl. : le, me, ne, te, f e.

i (y) sounds like ee m/ee. Ex. : li, ly, mi, my, ni, ny, ti, ty.

sounds like o in lone. Ex. : lo, mo, no, to, fo.

XL sounds like 00 in pool. Ex. : lu, mu, nu, tu, f u.

Note : In these and similar monosyllabic examples the vowels in Spanish are pronounced
without the slight glide at the end. so common in English, and making almost an additional
syllable. Therefore do not pronounce as though it were Uuh, l^uh, liuh, kSuh, liiuh, etc., but
do pronounce without this addition, clear, full, and prolonged, la, le, li, lo, lu, etc

8. Double e (ee) occurs in some words. Each c is sounded.

Ex. : lee, cree.

9. Final unaccented e is shortened in sound like di in said,

Ex. : vase (va-s^, not va-say).

ID. Before n and r, ending a syllable,

e sounds like ai m fair. Ex. : comer, romper, gobrrnar.
sounds like o in long. Ex. : el humor, el honor, la
honra.

11. 1T| when sounded before another vowel /;/ the same syllable y
is like the English w in way. Ex. : agua = a-gwa, bueno =
bweno, GuAnica = Gw4-ni-ca {not a-goo-a, boo-e-no, Goo-
4-ni-ca). But gradiie = gra-doo-e, because // and e are not in
the same syllable (see 46).

12. Y is a vowel when it^stands alone or at the end of a word.
Ex.: y, ley, rey.

PRONUNCIATION — CONSONANTS

COKSOKAKTS

13. The consonants are b, c, ch, d, f, g, h, j, k, 1, 11, m, n, n,
p, q, r, rr, s, t, v, w, x, (y,) z.

14. B is almost like the English b, but the lips are not pressed
together in sounding the Spanish b. Owing to this, b and
V sound very much alike and are often mistaken one for the
other : Spanish Habana is written and pronounced in Eng-
lish Havana. Ex. : bomba, bonito, d6bil, d^bito.

15. C has two distinct sounds.

1. Before e or / it has the strong sound of /// in ////;/.
Ex. : cita, cena, Ponce.

2. In all other situations except ch, it has the sound of k.
Ex. : cabo, alcoba, cubo, electro.

3. Qu takes the place of c before e or / to give the sound
of k. Ex. : tocar, toque, chico, chiquito.

16. Cc occurs only before ^ or /; hence in accordance with the
preceding rule it has the sound of kth. Ex. : accesible,
dicci6n.

17. Ch has the sound of ch in church. Ex. : chulo, china, chico,
chisme. Cli usually follows c in the dictionary.

18. D has the soft sound of tli in then ; especially between
vowels, and before r. At the end of a word it approxi-
mates the sound of t. Ex. : vivido, hablado, Madrid.

19. F, k, 1, m, n, p, t, have the same sound as in English.
Ex. : feble, kil6metro, luna, mano, notable, pena, tocado.

20. G has two distinct sounds.

1. Before c or / it is a palatal guttural like ch in the Ger-
man ich. Ex. : general, gengibre, San German.

2. In all other situations, it is hard like g in go. Ex.:
gato, goma, gusano.

3. To make g hard before e or /, ;/ must be inserted be-
tween them. The // is not sounded. Ex. : gueta, guincha,
guindo, gueltre, Aguinaldo.

4. If necessary to sound the // o{ gne, giti, a diaeresis ( ** )
must be placed over it. Ex. : verglienza, averigli^is, argiiir,
Mayagiiez.

4 PRONUNCIATION — CONSONANT'S

21. H is always silent except before uc, in which case it has the
sound of// in hole, Ex.: hablar, hambre, huevo, hueso.

22. J is always a strong guttural produced by depressing the
chin and clearing the throat, causing the soft palate to
vibrate. Ex. : jota, junta, jam4s.

I. In reloj, pronounced rel6,y is silent. In the plural it
is sounded, relojes.

23. Li has the sound of /// in Williatn, Ex.: Uorar, llevar,
Agoncillo, silla. It follows / in the dictionary.

24. Km takes the place of ;;/;;/ in English words. Ex. : immer-
sion = inmersi6n.

25. Kn occurs in some words, each // being sounded. Ex. : en-
negrecer.

26. BT sounds like gn in mignonette. Ex. : aiio, lefia, otOno. It
follows // in the dictionary.

Note : This mark (<«) is called tilde in Spanish.

27. Q occurs only before ne or ;//. Qn is then equal to k in
sound. Ex.: que, qui, querido, quiero. The English sound
of ^// in quart is represented in Spanish by cu. Ex. : cuanto,
cuarto.

28. R has the sound of r in English ; but at the beginning and
end of words and after /, ;/, 5, it is slightly rolled. Ex. :
roto, hablar, alrededor, Enrique, ara.

29. Rr, each r is distinctly sounded, thus producing a strong
roll. Ex. : perro, ferrocarril, error.

30. S always has the hissing sound of s in snn. Ex. : su, se, solo,
son.

31. V is like the English v, except that the upper teeth are not
firmly pressed against the lower lip ; owing to this, v and
b sound very much alike, and are often mistaken one for
the other. Ex. : vara, vela, visto, votos.

32. W imitates the sound it has in the language from which the
word is taken, for, like ky it is used only in foreign words.
Ex. : Wdldersee, West Point {pronounced Vdldersee, Uest
Point).

33. X has the sound of x in wax {waks). Ex. : sexo, extran-

PRONUNCIATION — EXERCISES 5

gero, extreme. In older Spanish x was guttural, but/ now
takes the place of guttural x, Ex. : M6jico.

34. Y is a consonant when it begins a syllable ; it then has the
sound of 7 in /t7«. Ex.: ley es, reyes, Cayo, Arroyo.

35. Z always has the strong sound of /// in ////;/. Ex. : zeta,
zapador, haz, zanja, Luz6n, Miiiioz, Martinez.

EXERCISES

SIMPLE VOWELS AND CONSONANTS

Note : In the following words, if a vowel has an accent (') over it, lengthen that vowel.
If there is no accent (0 over any vowel and if the word ends in a vowel or n, j, lengthen the
vowel in the syllable next to the last ; but if the word ends in y or a consonant not n, j,
lengthen the vowel in the last syllable. The syllable that is lengthened should always be a
little higher in pitch than the others.

36. Amo, aya, toro, tela, vive, luna, uno, cuyo, niria, vine, ley,
rey, otro, tintero, amigo, amputar, capa, escabeche, modista,
mogote, purismo, santidad, gobernador, triste, humanidad, ber-
lina, encorvar, encorvada, todos, usted, caiion, rifle, pistola,
grano, hacha, cruz, caballo, cenceiio, cepita, comiste, hablaste,
corromper, proveer, yacer, asen, asgan, boveda, conozco, muchi-
simo, chiche, chiquito, cigarra, ciclo, cigiieno, cincho, certificado,
dolor de cabeza, fechar, filosofador, garganta, girofina, glandu-
loso, gerifalte, gitano, gorgojoso, gorro, guzmanes, gutural,
borracho, guindilla, guerrilla, guedejudo, hombre, hocico, juez»
juzgado, joya, judas, jarapote, reloj, giralda, gesticular, liguilla,
libertadamente, lucir, llovido, llevadero, conmigo, chiquirritin,
motin, motines, motilon, motilones, ennoblecer, quemar, quere-
llarse, quintanon, quiromantico, santazo, sanmigueleno, samp-
suquino, expansivo, extraiiamente, proximo, contrahaz, con-
trabandista, azucena, revolver, tipografico, cloroformo, carac-
teristico, sinopsis, aproches, virulento, enfermiza, cable, capitan,
soldado, cabo, sargento, coronel, ej^rcito, electrometro, ellos,
vosotras, ustedes, gramatica, adjetivo, nombre, pronombre,
castellana, ejemplos, hija, silabas, acento, culebrazo, damnifica-
dor, desasosegadamente, musica, mojiganga, regocijadamente,
segundog^nito, sencillez, villancejo, yasquero, zipizape, Malate,
Malolos, Quebradillas, Manila, Luneta, Fajardo, Culebra, Man-
zanillo, Filipinos.

6 DIPHTHONGS

DIPHTHONGS AND TRIPHTHONGS

37. The strong vowels are, a, 0, e ; the weak vowels are i
(J')> "•

Note : y takes the place of / at the end of a word.

38. A diphthong is a combination of a strong vowel with a
weak vowel or of two weak vowels with each other, counting as
a single syllable, although each vowel has its own individual
sound.

39. A triphthong is a combination of a strong vowel bet\veen
two weak vowels, counting as a single syllable, although each
vowel has its own individual sound.

40. In a diphthong or triphthong, the strong vowel is pitched
a little higher than the weak and is prolonged at the expense of
the weak vowel or vowels. If the diphthong consists of two
weak vowels, // is always the last one that is prolonged.

41. Two strong vowels coming together count as tiuo syllables.
Ex. : aje, a|o, o:e, e|o, e|a, o|a.

trae, maestro, aecho, acaece; nao, rao, aova, aojo ; toesa,
moeda, roer, poeta ; meneo, deseo, veo, trineo ; oc6ano, zea,
lea, sean, aspeado ; boa, boato, poa, roano ; zee, lee, roo,
zoofito, Humacao, Mindanao, Coamo, guineo.

DIPHTHONGS. (Strong and weak vowels)

42. I. ai, ay, au, ia, ua; oi, oy, ou, io, uo; ei, ey, eu, ie, ue.

aire, hay, paraiso, caiga; pausa, aun, causar; aliviado, ro-
ciada, biasa, piache ; cuando, cuatro, Juan, mengua ; zoilo, oigo,
oidor, hoy, sOy, vOy, doy ; bou, touc4n, coutelina ; Dies, biombo,
diobre ; fatuo, duodeno ; aceite, reino, reir ; rey, bey, de\' ;
deuda, feudar, viene, tiempo, nadie, efigie ; nuevo, pues, puerto,
bueno, Cayey, Siboney, Jauco, Yauco, Santiago, Guanajay, El
Caney, Cauto.

DIPHTHON'GS. (Two weak vowels)
2. iu, ui, uy.
viudo, ciudad, diurno; zuiza, fuir, huimos, ruido; muy.

TRIPHTHONGS — GRAPHIC ACCENT ^

TRIPHTHONGS

43. iai, iei, uai, uay, uei, uey.

varidis, vari^is, averiguAis, averigii^is, Paraguay, Uruguay,
buey, Chiluey.

Note : The vowels in the order of sonorousness are «, <?, ^, /, u ; so that the
division into strong and weak b not arbitrary but natural.

It is belived by some that unless a diphthong or triphthong gets the tonic ac-
cent each vowel is of exactly the same length. Ex. : baile, bailarin.

In the first case, a is prolonged at the expense of /', because bai gets the tonic
accent ; whereas in the second case, since the tonic accent is not on bai, it is
claimed that a and / are of exactly the same length. This might be the case if the
division into strong and weak vowels were arbitrary ; but being a natural division,
based upon the organs of speech, diphthongs and triphthongs should always be
pronounced more or less the same way, whether they get the tonic accent or not.

THE WRITTEN OR GRAPHIC ACCENT

44. The graphic accent (') indicates to the eye the fact that
the word over which it appears is an exception to one of the
two general laws of Spanish pronunciation, or else it shows that
the word is used with exceptional meaning.

These laws are :

1 . Words of more than one syllable ending in a vowel (except
y)y or in a diphthong, or either of the consonants, //, 5, have the
tonic accent on the next to the last syllable. Ex. : amigo, ven-
tana, hablan, reyes, porque, seria, nadie.

2. Words of more than one syllable ending in y^ or in any
consonant except ;/ or Sy have the tonic accent on the last sylla-
ble. Ex. : estoy, Paraguay, hablar, comed, mortal.

45. If the word is not pronounced in accordance with the above
laws, a graphic accent must be used to indicate which syllable
gets the tonic accent. Ex. : rinc6n, hu6rfano, Andres.

46. If the syllable requiring the graphic accent is a diphthong
or a triphthong, the graphic accent must be placed over the strong
vowel, or over the last of two weak ones. Ex. : pi^lago, des-
pu^s, caustico.

But, if the Spaniard pronounces the word (consult Spanish
dictionary) with the tonic accent on any other vowel, the

8 GRAPHIC ACCENT — SYLLABICATION

graphic accent must appear, of course, over such vowel, thus
dissolving the diphthong or triphthong into two syllables. Ex. :
leido, gradue, dias, bahia.

47. The following monosyllables are always written with a
graphic accent:

1. The preposition a and the conjunctions e, 0, u,

2. Monosyllabic forms of verbs in the Past Definite. Ex.:
fui, fu6, di, dio, VI, vio, etc.

3. The more emphatic one of two monosyllables of identical
form. Ex.: 61, //r, el, the\ mas, more, mas, but\ tu, thou, tu,
thy,

48. The graphic accent is used to distinguish between the uses
of the same word in different meanings. Ex. : solo, only, solo,
alone \ qu6? what? que, that\ como? how? zovao, as \ bajo,
I go down, bajo, under,

49. The graphic accent is used in certain correlatives : cuales
. . . cuales.

Note : The graphic accent over the / does away with the dot, I. The initial letter of a
sentence, although a capital, takes the graphic accent when necessary. Ex. : A decir verdad,
no puedo comer.

50. The foregoing is the method of using the graphic accent
adopted by the Royal Spanish Academy in 1 888. Up to that
time ;/ and s had been considered as consonants ; by this system,
they are considered as vowels, for purposes of written accentua-
tion,

SYLLABICATIOK

51. A single consonant between two vowels always goes with
the following vowel to form a syllable: ca-sa, me-sa, a-mor,
flu-xion.

52. The letters eh, II, n and rr are considered as simple con-
sonants : chi-co, ca-Ue, ni-iio, tie-rra.

53. Generally two or three consonants between vowels are
separated ; the first one belonging to the preceding syllable :
con-ten-to, in-mer-sion, ac-cion, en-no-ble-cer.

54. Diphthongs and triphthongs are indivisible : bue-no, la-bo-
rio-so, a-ve-ri-gii^is, ver-guen-za, a-ve-ri-guais.

CAPITALS — PU>XTUATIOX 9

CAPITALS AND PUNCTUATION

55. Capitals are used as in English.
£1 es Juan. Quiero estar en Paris.

56. The following are exceptions :

1 . The names of the days of the week and of the months of
the year :

January, enero, June y junio, August, agosto ; Monday, lunes^
Saturday, sabado^ Sunday, domingo.

2. Proper adjectives :

El libro francos, the French book ; el comerciante aleman, the
German merchant.

But el Frances, the Frenchman^ el Aleman, the German,

3. The pronoun yo^ unless it begins a sentence or introduces
a direct quotation :

Yo estoy aqui. Elhadicho: " Yo tengo dinero." <jQu^ he
dicho yo?

57. Rules for punctuation are the same as in English, except
that interrogative and exclamatory sentences require in addition
an inverted mark at the beginning ( <: ) ( ; ) unless the sentence
commences with an interrogative pronoun or adverb, which, al-
ways having an accent, will indicate sufficiently the kind of sen-
tence. This, however, is not always followed, and it is always
correct to use the two marks in any interrogative or exclama-
tory sentence. Ex. : i Quiere V. este libro ? Qu6 tienes, Juanito ?
Qu6 lastima ! ; Ay de mi !

GENERAL EXERCISES

DIPHTHONGS, TRIPHTHONGS, AND TWO STRONG VOWELS

58. Aire, airoso, cantais, hay, causa, caudal, heroico, voy, soy,
sois, bou, rey, reinado, veis, feudo, eunuco, lluvia, diablo, cual,
agua, aprobacion, nacion, cuota, mutuo, fiel, nieto, nadie, pues,
fuego, pueril, ciudad, viudo, muy, cuidado, cuita. Cambiais, va-
ri^is, fraguais, guay, santigu^is, buey, pais, aun, oido, lei, armonia,
periodo, confie, falila, continuo, continue, fluido, dia,/tio, duo,
leido, caida. Caer, traemos, aecho, a^reo, aerometro, aoristo.

I O EXERCISES — READING

aovado, oenas, oeste, oenate, eolico, veo, leo, ea pucs ! marea,
galantea, cojea, bautismo, toreador, canoa, canoero, canoi, cano-
ita, guardia, faccioso, drogueria, juez, creer^, reunir, h^roe, cua-
dro, cuaderno, cuestion, cuestiones, matigiielo, parihuela, san-
guisuela, sangiieso, excepcion, argiiimos, cuesta, recuerdo, hierro,
suelo, sueno, yuxtaposicion, conmociones, giiepil, relampaguea,
meajuela, piernas, agonia, debio, menguada, cuotidiano, melifluo,
zuizon, mausoleo, toalla, meauca, mauseolo, Vizcaino, Camagiie-
yano, Nicaragiiense, caracteres, regimenes, t^ngase, buitre, anda-
mio, ganzua, cigiiena, cazuela, cuidadoso, tortuoso, imbuido,
Escorial, majuelo, Malagueno, matrimonio, narracion, ocurren-
cia, cuarenta, curioso, distraido, Guipuzcoano, Leon^s, idioma,
ingeniero, leudo, juicio, monstruo, revuelto, tejuelo, santiguarse,
viajero, lisonjean, aeronautas, titubeo, bailadores, pies, aver-
giienzo, aguardo, salteador, naufrago, hubi^semos, mareado,
oigo, usario, albaceazgo, votacion. Sierra Maestra, Guayama,
Aibonito, Utuardo, Vieques, Cienfuegos, Chihuahua, Puerto
Rico, Puertoriquena.

READING

Note: Spanish vowels coming together, whether in the same or different words, are
sounded with a smooth glide of the voice from one to the other, without the distinct separa-
tion made in sounding the vowels in English words. Ex. : Mi,^amigo^^esti^^aquf .

LA HERMANA DE LA CARIDAD

59. ** — Oyeme, y pasmate, Eduardo. Yo he visto aqui, un
ministro poderoso, dueno de la voluntad del rey, caer en des-
gracia. La gente lo sabia, y ^1 lo ignoraba. Un baile fue la
serial de su desgracia. La reina acostumbraba a bailar todas
las noches de sarao el primer rigodon con ^1 : la noche des-
tinada a herirle, no lo bailo. Apartaronse de 6\ los cortesanos
como si estuviera apestado ; ri^ronse de su catadura los mismos
que le prestaban homenaje; encontrose en aquellos salones
donde todas las frentes, hasta las frentes coronadas, le acata-
ban, solo, aislado, sin un amigo. Su desgracia crecio, y un dia
se vio preso, y otro proximo al cadalso, y hoy anda acaso en
tierra extraiia, pidiendo una miserable limosna para mantener a
sus hijos.